


wonder on a wave

by SnailsWithWings



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Friends to Lovers, How Do I Tag, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Katara is the Avatar, M/M, POV Multiple, Polyamory, aang is there too bc i love him, but he's just an airbender, pov is mostly katara but there's some aang and zuko pov too
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:34:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26366527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnailsWithWings/pseuds/SnailsWithWings
Summary: Katara supposed it made some sort of sense. The Avatar was supposed to balance the world, and a war-torn world wasn’t balanced by any sense of the word. Eventually, the Avatar spirit would have to return to set things right. Even if it had taken… 75 years to do so, it had come back.And it had chosen her.
Relationships: Aang & Katara (Avatar), Aang & Zuko (Avatar), Aang/Katara (Avatar), Aang/Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Aang/Zuko (Avatar), Katara & Sokka (Avatar), Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 37





	1. Chapter 1

Katara would like to go on record saying she is not “emotionally fragile.”

Sure, sometimes she overreacts to things. Sure, sometimes those overreactions have devastating consequences such as nearly drowning herself and her sexist brother in a subconsciously-generated tidal wave. Sure, sometimes said tidal waves almost bring about the end of the world via the ripple effect. But none of those things mean she is fragile.

Sokka -- the aforementioned sexist brother -- would say otherwise, but what does he know? All he knows is how to say offensive things and not catch fish. 

Case in point, their “fishing” trip. 

Waterbending had always come naturally to her. She’d heard rumors that it was difficult to master, but not for her; it had always felt like she could simply reach out and feel the water with her mind. Gran-Gran said she bent her first bubble when she was a toddler. So it was easy, second-nature almost, to hold out her hand and twist her fingers and raise a fish from the sea.

“Sokka, look!” she said gleefully. No matter how many times she did it, it never lost its appeal. 

He shushed her. “Katara, you’re gonna scare it away!”

She frowned. “Sokka, I caught one!” she insisted, waving the small bubble back and forth in the air. Why had he brought her along on the trip if he wasn’t even going to listen to her?

Well, she knew the answer to that -- he’d brought her only because she had spent weeks begging to go. He didn’t expect her to actually do anything. What good could a girl do on a manly mission, right?

Still ignoring her, he raised his spear in preparation to hit the water. She only barely managed to move her bubble out of the way. “Sokka!” she said indignantly. Finally, he looked over at her. His expression brightened.

“Hey, you caught one!”

Katara rolled her eyes. “Brilliant observation,” she muttered. 

Their canoe jolted forward. She lost her grip on the water and the bubble popped, sending the fish back into the ocean. She was disappointed, but it was hardly her first concern -- they were caught in a current, heading straight towards a minefield of icy chunks. 

“Left!” she shouted, and he reached for his paddle, but she was already in motion. The balance was precarious at best, but she still rose to her feet, shaking slightly with the boat. She couldn’t stop the current entirely, but it wasn’t difficult to simply maneuvre their canoe out of it, away from the ice. 

Safely out of the current, she collapsed with a sigh. Sokka dropped his paddle and looked at her with a newfound respect. “Okay, I know I’m always knocking the magic water, but…”

“It’s not magic, it’s waterbending,” she repeated the same thing she’d said a hundred times. 

He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, whatever you say.” 

It wasn’t anything particularly offensive. He say worse things on a daily basis. But dammit, it was the straw that broke the camel’s back. 

“You just never take me seriously, do you?” she demanded. “I catch fish, you don’t care. I do all the work at home, I cook, I clean, you don’t care! I save our lives -- we would be dead if our canoe had been crushed in that ice -- and you don’t care! All because I’m a girl!” 

Something simmered through her veins. She had never been the most calm girl, but now there was something new in her blood, turning annoyance to anger and anger to rage. It wasn’t fair; she had lost Mom, and she had lost Dad, and was it too much to ask for an ounce of respect from the one remaining member of her close family? Apparently!

Vaguely, she heard the sound of waves behind her, but they were in the middle of the ocean, how uncommon were waves there? (If she’d been in her right mind, she would have realized that it was very uncommon to hear waves in the middle of the ocean, but she was angry and an Angry Katara equalled an Unobservant Katara.) Of course, all that faded when a massive wave came crashing down on her head. 

Underwater was… peaceful. Serene. Her hair started to come undone from its tight braid and loose strands floated around her face. It was pretty… until her lungs started to burn.

Katara thrashed around, and her head hit a broken piece of her beloved canoe. It threw her off-balance, she went spinning around, she couldn’t tell which way was up, there was no more air in her lungs-- She was going to die.

No.

She was not going to die. 

Afterwards, she couldn’t describe what happened. Power flooded through her, her vision was tinged white, and she felt-- strong. Like she could take on the world. Like all the power in the world was right there, just waiting to be called upon. And, well, what could she do but use it? 

Next thing she knew, she was sitting on a small floe, Sokka staring at her with eyes wider than dinner plates. 

“You--” he started. “You-- you just-- did-- did you know--”

“Use your words, Sokka,” she snapped, feeling rather dizzy.

“Katara, you just… you just airbent.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All of a sudden, Sokka sat forward. “We were supposed to get fish!” he said, eyes wide with horror. 
> 
> Katara winced. After everything that happened, their original mission seemed insignificant. But Gran-Gran and the others were expecting them to come back with food. Instead, they were coming back with a strange beast and an even stranger boy.

Katara stared at her brother, wondering if she’d misheard him. “Uh, Sokka, I’m a waterbender. Not an airbender. Airbenders are gone, remember? And I think I’d know if I was the Avatar.”

“Would you?” he demanded. “Look, I don’t know how it happened, but here’s what I saw: I was drowning, then your eyes started glowing -- almost gave me a heart attack, by the way -- and then you summoned up this… giant air bubble thing and now here we are!” he gestured wildly around. 

She frowned and lowered her gaze to the ice beneath her feet. She almost didn’t want to accept it, but… there weren’t many other explanations. How else could she and Sokka have gotten out of the water? And the power she was feeling right before she blacked out…

Katara supposed it made some sort of sense. The Avatar was supposed to balance the world, and a war-torn world wasn’t balanced by any sense of the word. Eventually, the Avatar spirit would have to return to set things right. Even if it had taken… 75 years to do so, it had come back.

And it had chosen her. 

“You’re sure that’s what you saw?” she asked faintly.

Sokka’s voice softened -- he may be a sexist jerk sometimes, but he was still her older brother and she was still his younger sister. “I’m sure.” 

She let out a faint sob and sank down to her knees. The cold from the ice seeped through her clothes, but she barely felt it through the sudden, overwhelming surge of fear.

If she was the Avatar… the world was her responsibility. She would have to end the war; a 15-year-old girl with some magic water and a rude older brother. How could she possibly hope to survive this? 

“Hey,” Sokka whispered, gathering her in his arms and hugging her to his chest. “We’ll figure it out, okay?” 

It was a pointless platitude, but Katara took comfort in it nonetheless. “Okay,” she said with a sniffle, her voice muffled by his parka. She took one last moment to feel sorry for herself, then straightened up. “Well,” she said, wiping a tear off her cheek. “I’d say… first order of business is getting home. Got any ideas?”

Sokka smirked at her. “You’re the Avatar, Katara, can’t you just… get us home?”

She scowled and lightly hit his shoulder. “No, I can’t!” 

Undoubtedly he was about to say something else sarcastic, but he didn’t get the chance. As he opened his mouth, the water around them started to glow bright blue. Katara hesitantly waterbent a whip around herself for protection, wondering if it was a new type of Fire Nation attack, or perhaps some odd manifestation of her newfound powers -- but it was neither. The water rippled, then out of the ocean rose an unnaturally round iceberg, glowing like the moon. 

“Is that an Avatar thing?” Sokka whispered. Katara elbowed him in the side. 

She leaned forward as far as the floe would allow her, hoping to catch a better glimpse of the mysterious iceberg. It was bobbing around, shifting with the waves, and within--

There was a silhouette. Someone was in there. 

“Sokka, do you see that?” she shouted, already running forward, effortlessly bending the waves beneath her feet. Sokka followed, but wasn’t blessed with her bending ability, and so had to jump on the pieces of ice scattered around.

“See what--” he started as he joined her at the base of the iceberg, then stopped. “Oh. Oh! There’s a person!”

Katara furrowed her brow in concentration, then slid her left foot back, shifting into a better stance. She held her hands together, then jerked them apart; the iceberg cracked and a thin sliver of steam rose up.

“Katara, are you sure?” said Sokka, watching her warily. “The person there, we don’t know who they are! They could be Fire Nation!”

“They could also not be,” she countered, repeating her move. The crack widened. “I can’t just let them stay there, Sokka! They could die!” A third time, and the iceberg split in half. A blinding beam of light shot into the air, and Katara shied back. A suspenseful moment passed, then over the ridge rose the figure she’d seen. He was standing tall, then-- collapsed and fell down the side of the iceberg. 

“Woah!” she said, leaping forward to catch him. 

He seemed about as old as her, perhaps a year younger. His head was shaved, with an arrow tattoo, and he was wearing orange and yellow garbs that she’d never seen before. But she’d seen illustrations, in a scroll she’d borrowed from her father. Airbender tattoos, Air Nomad clothes -- who the hell was this guy? Could he be… 

His eyes fluttered open. Light grey, filled with a childish innocence. 

“Are you okay?” she asked softly, setting him down on the snow.

He groaned and sat up, rubbing his forehead. “What happened?”

Katara shrugged. “I think you would know better than me--” she started, but was cut off by a loud grumble coming from the other side of the ridge. The boy instantly snapped into awareness, a wide smile adorning his face.

“Appa!” he cried, and leapt up the side of the iceberg. His unnatural agility only reinforced what the tattoos already told her -- this boy was an airbender. 

Much like herself, apparently.

“Appa?” Sokka echoed dubiously. Together, the two of them walked around the ridge, to see the source of the sound -- a gigantic white bison, with a grey arrow lining its head. It seemed lethargic, almost asleep, but the boy was prodding it relentlessly.

“Appa! Wake up, buddy!” he said. The bison’s eyes opened slowly, and it let out another grumble.

“What the hell is that thing?” Sokka demanded.

The boy spun around to face them. “This is Appa, my flying bison!” he introduced them.

Under any other circumstances, Katara had no doubt that Sokka would have a sarcastic reply to that. But he glanced over at her, then shrugged and said, “Okay. I’ve seen weirder things today. I’m Sokka.”

“And I’m Katara,” she added. “Who are you?”

“I’m Aang,” said the boy, bouncing lightly on his feet. “Nice to meet you! How’d we get all the way out…” he paused and looked around at the vast expanse of water and ice. “Here?” 

“Well, Katara and I were going fishing. I dunno about you.”

For a split second, Aang’s expression dimmed. Then it brightened again, so quickly Katara almost wondered if she’d imagined it. “Appa and I were just exploring! Then we got caught in a storm, and, well.” He gestured towards the fractured walls of the former iceberg. 

“A storm?” Katara repeated. There hadn’t been any storms in a while, let along any that could possibly trigger some sort of iceberg-formation… and what was Aang doing, exploring in the South Pole? If there were airbenders left, still in hiding, how could he be so reckless? Unless…

How long had he been in there? 

“Aang,” she started, “before the storm, what’s the last thing you remember?”

Aang furrowed his brow. “Why?”

“Humor me. Please.”

“Okay! I was at the Southern Air Temple, and…” This time, his expression sombered for longer than a split second. “Well, the monks wanted to move me to another Temple, but I didn’t want to go, so I decided to leave and go exploring instead!” 

He’d run away. He’d run away from the monks at the Southern Air Temple, which had been deserted for 100 years. 

“Aang, how long were you in that iceberg?”

He shrugged. “Couple days, maybe.”

She shook her head. “I don’t think so. I think… it was more like a hundred years.”

“What?” Aang demanded. “That’s crazy! Do I look like a hundred-fourteen-year-old man to you?”

“I think she’s right,” said Sokka, uncharacteristically serious. “Aang, airbenders haven’t been seen in a century. Ever since…” he trailed off. 

“Ever since what?” Aang asked, absentmindedly rubbing the cheek of his bison. 

Katara frowned and lowered her gaze to the ground. “Ever since the war started.”

“The war? What war? What’s going on here?” Aang looked disturbed. 

Katara and Sokka exchanged a long glance. “Look, Aang…” Katara started. “It looks like you’ve missed out on a lot. And we’ll explain, but… we should get home. We don’t have time to explain it all out here, and Gran-Gran will start to worry if we’re gone for too long.”

Aang’s expression brightened again. It was starting to look like he was just a naturally happy person, which was… rare, in such a war-torn world. Katara hoped he would stay that way. “Okay! Appa and I will give you a lift, if you want!” 

“Well, our canoe is gone, so that’d be a big help. Thanks!” 

“No problem!” he said, jumping high into the air and landing neatly on Appa’s head. “Hop on, and get ready for the ride of your life!” 

Katara laughed slightly; despite the serious situation, Aang’s happiness was infectious. “Hold on, Sokka and I can’t jump as high as you can,” she said, climbing up Appa’s side. Sokka followed, looking rather apprehensive. 

Once they had settled in the saddle, Aang grabbed the reins and tapped them lightly against Appa’s forehead. “Appa, yip yip!”

The bison grumbled, and leaped into the air. For a split second, they were soaring, then-- Appa fell back down into the water.

“Flying must have been different a hundred years ago,” Sokka drawled.

Aang looked perturbed. “C’mon, Appa, yip yip!” he said, leaning forward and stroking Appa’s fur. Appa continued to swim forward at a leisurely pace. Finally, Aang shrugged and turned around. “He must be tired.” 

“That’s okay, you can show us later,” said Katara with an encouraging smile. “So, you’re an airbender?”

“Sure am!” he said. 

“Do you think…” she paused, glanced at Sokka, took a deep breath, then said, “Do you think you can teach me?”

Aang frowned. “You’re an airbender? I thought you would’ve been a waterbender, I mean, you’re from the Water Tribe and--”

“No, you’re right,” she said. “I’m a waterbender too. I… I’m the Avatar.”

For a second, he looked stunned. “You’re the Avatar? That’s not possible, I’m--” then he stopped, fell silent, and looked down at his hands. “I’m sorry,” he said hesitantly, twiddling his fingers. “I don’t see how that’s possible. I knew the Avatar, and you’re not him.”

Katara frowned. “Aang, you’ve been gone for a century. The Avatar, whoever you knew him as… he’s got to be dead. I’m sorry.”

“Katara airbent, I saw her myself,” Sokka added. “We’d be dead if she hadn’t. She’s the Avatar.”

“I…” Aang said slowly. “Okay. If you’re-- okay. I’ll teach you.”

Katara smiled again, a weight lifting off her chest. “Thank you.”

He smiled back. “Of course. Are you sure you want me, though? I’ve never taught anyone before.” 

“I don’t have a lot of options,” she said with a shrug. “I’m sure you’ll do fine! And you’ll have some time to prepare, I mean, since I’ll need to learn earth and fire first.”

Aang frowned and tilted his head. “What do you mean, there aren’t options?”

“Airbenders haven’t been seen in a hundred years,” Sokka repeated what he’d said before, in a much more gentle tone than Katara was used to hearing from him. It made sense, though; Sokka could be rude and insensitive, but even he knew that this couldn’t be an easy thing to hear.

Aang shook his head. “Maybe, but they can’t just be gone. They’re probably just hiding somewhere!” Katara could tell from his tone of voice that he didn’t quite believe them. She couldn’t blame him; if she was frozen in an iceberg, then was freed and immediately after was told that the Water Tribes had been gone for a century, she’d be skeptical as well. But it was heavy in her chest. She would have to convince this innocent boy that his entire culture had been wiped out. What would that do to him? 

“Maybe,” she said slowly. “But still, no one’s seen them. And if they’ve stayed hidden for a century--” internally, she winced-- “How can I possibly find them? You’re all I’ve got.” 

“Don’t worry, I’ll help you find them!” he said. “They’re probably in some place you can only reach with a sky bison, like Appa here!” he patted Appa’s fur. 

“Katara,” Sokka started quietly, but she shook her head briefly.

“Thanks, but I think my first priority should be ending the war,” she said firmly. “After that, we can look for airbenders.”

Aang looked skeptical, but shrugged. “Okay. What’s this war?”

Katara looked at Sokka helplessly. “Uh, well, it’s a really long story,” she said. “A century ago, the Fire Nation-- well, I’m sorry, Aang, but the Fire Nation attacked the Air Nomads. They were all wiped out.”

“Some must have escaped,” he corrected her. “Wait, that’s crazy! I knew people in the Fire Nation, and they were good people! Why would the Fire Nation just… do that?”

Sokka shrugged. “I can’t tell you, bud, it doesn’t make sense to me. They probably just wanted more power, or world domination, or both. Point is, they attacked the Air Nomads, and that kickstarted the Hundred Year War. Ever since then, they’ve been trying to take over the world.”

Aang frowned and looked over at the water, slowly passing by. “So… I’ve missed a lot,” he said hollowly.

Katara bit her lip. “I’m sorry, Aang.” 

“It’s not your fault,” he said half-heartedly. “It’s…” he shook his head. “It’s someone else’s fault. The other Avatar, he should’ve stopped it.” 

“He disappeared. We don’t know why.”

Aang gave a low chuckle. “He sure did.” Then he shook himself and looked over at them. “Sorry. I shouldn’t get so down. How far away is your tribe?” 

Katara peered over at the horizon. “It shouldn’t be far, now.” 

“Cool! I can’t wait to meet everyone!” he said enthusiastically. “What are they like? I mean, I’ve been here before, but--” his voice lowered. “That was a hundred years ago. It must have changed.”

Katara didn’t know a lot about history, but she knew that the Southern Water Tribe had been far, far bigger a century ago. “Well, you probably remember it as this big village, full of people,” she started. Aang nodded. “It’s… smaller now. A lot smaller. The Fire Nation raids killed--” her throat caught on the words. She paused, swallowed, then said, “The Fire Nation killed all the waterbenders. I’m the last one. And a few years ago, all the men went off the fight in the war. So it’s just me, Sokka, Gran-Gran, and the women and children. There are only a few dozen of us left.”

Aang looked somber. “I’m sorry.” 

Katara gave a thin smile. “It’s not your fault,” she echoed his words from before. 

Aang scoffed. He muttered something under his breath, but it was too quiet to hear. 

“What?” she asked.

“Nothing. Are we almost there?”

She chuckled. “Almost. It’s right up…” she leaned forward and pointed towards a spot on the horizon, growing closer with every second. “There.” 

Aang gasped and spun around, leaning forward. “Wow!” he said as the village fully came into view. She personally didn’t see anything too spectacular about it; quite the opposite, actually. Objectively, the Southern Water Tribe was… small and sad. But Aang seemed to see it as something wonderful. Aang seemed to see the world as something wonderful. 

All of a sudden, Sokka sat forward. “We were supposed to get fish!” he said, eyes wide with horror.

Katara winced. After everything that happened, their original mission seemed insignificant. But Gran-Gran and the others were expecting them to come back with food. Instead, they were coming back with a strange beast and an even stranger boy.

“It’s alright!” Aang said breezily. “You’ve got me and Appa, we’re way cooler than fish!”

Katara giggled. “Maybe, but we can’t eat you and Appa.”

“Oh.” It seemed that thought had not occurred to Aang. “Well, you can catch some later, right? I’ll come with!” 

Sokka shrugged. “If you say so. But Katara, you’re explaining all this to Gran-Gran.”

Katara pursed her lips. She was the Avatar, it would naturally be on her to take charge anyway. Perhaps Sokka was pinning it on her to give her an out? It was surprisingly thoughtful. 

“Alright, we’re here!” said Aang dramatically as they reached the edge of the ice. Appa crawled out of the water and immediately came to a halt, letting out a grumble. Aang jumped off his head with a laugh. “Okay, boy, you can go to sleep now.” 

Katara climbed off Appa, with Sokka close behind, then headed towards the village wall. Aang fell into step beside her, looking overjoyed. “This place seems awesome!” he gushed. Katara refrained from pointing out the fact that he’d only seen the outer wall. 

They entered the village, and immediately every eye turned towards them. Well, towards Aang, more specifically. The air had previously been filled with chatter, but it was quickly replaced with silence.

“Hey there!” said Aang with a wave, either not noticing the tension or choosing to ignore it. “I’m Aang!” 

Gran-Gran approached them. “Hello, Aang,” she said tonelessly. “Katara, it seems you have some explaining to do.”

Katara laughed nervously. “Well… a lot’s happened. We might want to sit down.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so it turns out this hasn't been abandoned after all! for now at least, we'll see how it goes. i have the next few chapters written already, and i should be posting them on a weekly basis. fingers crossed i keep it up lol  
> a few notes: aang has been aged up a few years here, only because i intend on pairing him with katara and zuko, and 12 years olds really should not be in serious relationships. right now, the ages are: aang is 14, katara is 15, zuko is 16, and sokka is 17.


	3. Chapter 3

Inside Gran-Gran’s hut, the four people sat in silence. Katara was nervously twiddling her thumbs together. Sokka was impatiently looking switching between her and Gran-Gran like he was watching some sort of game match. Aang was leaning his chin on his palm, looking fascinated by the situation. Gran-Gran was sitting in contemplative silence, seeming content to stew with her thoughts.

Finally, Katara spoke up. “So… thoughts?”

“You are the Avatar,” Gran-Gran repeated. “You found this… airbender boy,” she gestured towards Aang, “frozen in an iceberg for 100 years. You have returned with no fish.”

Katara nodded anxiously. “All are true.” 

“The fish don’t seem really important,” Aang piped up. 

“I’m merely making sure I have my facts straight,” said Gran-Gran. Aang shrugged and nodded in concession. “I think…” Gran-Gran said slowly, “it is time for you to leave home. I’m not kicking you out,” she said as Katara’s eyes widened, “but you are the Avatar. It is your duty to end this war.”

Katara nodded, staring at the hand-woven rug. “I know,” she said quietly. 

Sokka put his hand on her shoulder. “You’re not gonna do it alone,” he said intently. 

“Yeah!” said Aang. “We’ve got your back.”

Katara stared at him with wide eyes. She had met this boy half an hour ago, and already he was pledging to take on the world with her. He was… incredible. “Are you sure? We’re still practically strangers.”

Aang grinned like the sun. “You need help, so I’m gonna help. Besides, I already said I’d teach you airbending!” 

She smiled softly. “Thank you,” she murmured. 

“Your waterbending is good, but you have not yet mastered it,” said Gran-Gran. “Your first move should be to go to the North Pole and find a master, then to the Earth Kingdom to find an earthbending teacher. Then…” she trailed off. Katara knew what she hadn’t said; where on earth was she going to find a firebending teacher?

“You’ll figure it out,” she said finally. 

Katara nodded once. “I will. I love you, Gran-Gran.”

“We can’t leave just yet,” said Aang. “Appa still needs to rest.”

Katara smiled slyly. “Way to just assume we’ll be going on Appa, Aang.”

“What else are you gonna use?” Aang protested. “Your broken canoe?”

“I worked hard on that canoe,” Sokka grumbled.

Katara laughed. “I’m joking. Of course we’ll wait for Appa.” 

Aang leapt to his feet, using airbending as a boost -- it was odd, Katara thought, seeing the lost bending art used so casually -- and held out a hand. “Let’s go meet everyone else, then!” he said with wide smile. Unbidden, a smile grew on her own face as she grasped his hand and was hauled to her feet. She wondered if his infectious cheer was an Air Nomad power lost to the ages.

They were all about freedom, she mused. 

Aang held out a hand to Sokka, but the other boy was already on his feet. “They might be a bit suspicious,” he warned. “I mean, we haven’t had a newcomer in… ever.” 

“First time for everything!” said Aang, heading towards the door. 

Outside, the village was gathered; likely to observe the new airbender. Their stares ranged from suspicious to curious, but Aang didn’t seem intimidated. “Hi!” he said brightly.

Katara stepped forward. “Entire village, this is Aang. Aang, this is the entire village.”

“It’s nice to meet you all!” said Aang. 

One of the children ran forward. “Your clothes are funny,” she said.

Fortunately, Aang didn’t seem offended. Instead, he shrugged easily and said, “Well, you haven’t seen them before! They’re very comfortable, though.” 

“Mommy said you’re an airbender,” another kid piped up. “Can you do magic tricks?” 

“Not magic, but I can definitely do tricks! Hang on,” said Aang, running out of the village at a faster pace than Katara’s eyes could process. Seconds later, before she could even fully comprehend his exit, he was back. In his hand was a wooden staff, about as tall as he was. “Check it out!” he said, turning it slightly. Orange wings slid out. The child gasped.

“What does that do?” a third kid asked.

“It’s a glider,” Aang explained, waving it back and forth through the air. “It lets me control the currents in the air so I can fly!”

The child looked overjoyed. “You can fly?” 

Aang nodded. He positioned the glider against his back, then leaped into the air like a rabbit-frog. Instead of landing, however, he soared through the air, turning around in loops and waves. The children were clapping, and even most of the adults looked rather impressed. Katara turned to Sokka, and smiled at the look on his face. 

“Jealous you can’t fly?” she teased him.

He huffed. “No way!” 

Aang laughed merrily as he settled back down next to them. “See? Flying!”

“Wow…” the child breathed. Aang twirled his glider again, and the wings vanished. 

With children laughing, and open smiles on adults’ faces, the village felt more alive than it had in years. And it was all because of one odd boy. The children clamored for another demonstration, and Aang obliged, laughing all the way. 

“He’s…” Katara started, watching the Air Nomad create a small tornado in the palm of his hand. “Really great,” she settled on, although it didn’t seem like enough to describe the whirlwind of a person she’d found. 

Sokka smirked. “Is he?”

Katara flushed. “Shut up,” she snapped. 

A horn sounded in the distance. The playful mood dissipated; only the children didn’t know the sound. It was a Fire Nation signal. 

How? Why? Why were they there? Had they somehow found out about her? No, they couldn’t have. There was no way. But why else were they here?

Mothers picked up their children and ushered them into huts. Aang furrowed his brow and retreated back to Katara’s side. “What’s going on?”

“Fire Nation,” Sokka growled, reaching for his club.

The ground shook. Small piles of snow and supplies began to tumble. Sokka’s watchtower crumbled, and he gave a small whine. But he had the sense not to complain -- there were bigger fish to fry.

The hull of a Fire Nation ship broke through their icy wall. Katara flinched back. They’d found her. Sokka put a protective hand on her shoulder. Aang shifted in front of her ever so slightly, holding out his staff. “Don’t worry, Katara,” he said firmly. “They’re not taking you.” 

It was a nice sentiment, but how could the three of them possibly hope to fight off an entire ship? 

There was a hiss of steam, then a ramp began to lower itself onto the pile of snow where the watchtower once was. Katara steeled herself, then melted the snow around her and created a water whip. She wouldn’t go down without a fight, that was for sure. 

The air was still for a moment, then out of the darkness came the soldiers. They were lead by a boy, about her age, with a vivid scar across his right eye. Despite herself, she felt the slightest bit of pity -- there must be a horrible memory attached to that scar. Then she shook herself, reminded herself why they were here -- to take her. To kill her.

“Where is he?” the scarred boy demanded once he reached the ground. Katara and Sokka exchanged a glance. Where was who? Didn’t he know the Avatar was a girl? Was he looking for the Avatar at all? 

The Fire Nation boy looked very irritated by the lack of response. He reached out and grabbed Gran-Gran, pulling her forward. “He’d be about this age!” he yelled. “Master of all four elements! I know you’re hiding him! There’s nowhere else he can be; the South Pole is a wasteland!”

Katara frowned, slightly insulted. A wasteland?

He growled and unleashed a wave of flames. The villagers cried and surged back. “Tell me where he is!” he shouted. “Or I’ll burn this whole village down!” 

He would do it; she could see it in his eyes. He didn’t quite seem like the person to kill everyone there, but they would be left without shelter if he didn’t find the Avatar. And without shelter… 

She couldn’t let that happen. 

Katara took a deep breath, prepared to step forward, prepared to give in-- but she was too late. Aang, the wonderful boy, did it for her.

“I’m not an old man,” he snapped, sending a gust of air directly at the scarred boy’s face. 

“You?” he said incredulously.

“Me,” said Aang.

Katara’s eyes widened. “Aang, no--” she started.

“I don’t want to fight,” said Aang, ignoring her. “If I go with you, will you promise to leave everyone here alone?” 

The soldier was silent for a moment, then gave a single nod. Aang lowered his staff and walked towards him.

“No!” Katara cried, far more vehemently. “Aang, don’t do this!” 

Don’t do this for me.

He looked back and gave her a soft smile. “It’s okay, Katara,” he said. “Look after Appa for me, until I get back!” 

She faltered. Until he got back… did he have some sort of escape plan? Aang didn’t seem the devious type, but then again, she hadn’t known him for very long. And everyone had layers.

“Trust me,” he pleaded as the ramp began to close. 

Tears welled in her eyes, but she nodded. “I trust you,” she whispered. It was so quiet that even Sokka couldn’t hear it, but his smile returned, and somehow she knew -- he had heard. She trusted him, and he knew, and he would be okay. 

The ship retreated, leaving in its wake an eerie silence. Mothers went to get their children, women began to clean up the mess. Katara stayed locked in place, gaze fixed on the hole in the wall. 

Sokka touched her arm. “Katara…” he started, his voice somber. 

“We can’t just leave him,” she declared. Maybe he had an escape plan, but even so, how could one airbender escape a ship packed with trained firebenders? He needed help. 

“I’m not saying we should, but how do you think we can help?” asked Sokka dubiously. 

“I’m the Avatar!” Katara said loudly. “What good is that if I can’t save people? Aang saved us-- he saved me-- now I have to save him! I have to!” 

“Okay!” Sokka held up his hands defensively. “I’m just saying, unless you’ve got a warship up your sleeve, there’s no way we can catch up to them.”

Aang’s words echoed in her mind. ‘Take care of Appa for me!’ 

“Appa,” she said, running towards the edge of the village. “Appa!” 

“Last time I checked, Appa was too tired to fly!” Sokka reminded her as he followed close behind. 

“Got any better ideas?” she shouted as she scanned the horizon. Appa was nowhere to be seen, but she knew the Fire Nation hadn’t taken him, and there was no way he would just up and leave… he must have heard the ship approaching and hidden. He was smarter than she’d given him credit for. “Appa!” she called hesitantly. “Appa, remember me? I’m Aang’s friend, and he needs my help! And I need your help! Where are you?”

Far to her left, she heard a familiar grumble. She laughed slightly and dashed towards the sound. Appa had retreated and hidden behind a thick spire of ice, but now that the coast was clear, he was lumbering towards her. They met in the middle -- she jumped as high as she could and gave him a hug. “Oh, thank god you’re okay!” she breathed. “Come on, boy, Aang needs our help.” 

“Can he understand you?” Sokka asked with a raised eyebrow, having finally reached her. 

She shrugged. In all honesty, she didn’t know; but she wouldn’t rule it out. “Let’s go,” she said, circling around to Appa’s side.

“Go where?” came a voice from behind them. Katara flinched abruptly, before registering the voice -- Gran-Gran. 

Katara turned around. “We’re going to save Aang,” she said, straightening up. “And then we’re going to the North Pole.”

Gran-Gran smiled fondly at her and held out two bedrolls and a bag of supplies. “Charging off without preparation? I thought you were wiser, my little Avatar.”

She smiled sheepishly. “Sorry. I just… lose track of things when I’m worried. Thank you for checking.”

Gran-Gran patted her head. “I’m proud of you. And your mother would be too.”

Katara’s eyes widened. Unconsciously, her hand went to the necklace around her throat. “Thank you,” she murmured. “I love you, Gran-Gran.”

“And I love you. And you as well, my brave warrior,” she said to Sokka. He smiled proudly. 

“We won’t let you down, Gran-Gran,” he said. 

“I know. Now go. You’ll need to hurry, to catch that ship. Aang is special, Katara; don’t let him slip through your fingers.”

Katara smiled softly. “I won’t. Goodbye.” She climbed up onto Appa’s back, then grabbed the reins. “Appa, let’s go!”

Appa grumbled and began to trudge forward. Gran-Gran retreated, and Katara gave her one final wave, then turned her attention to the bison. “Come on, Appa, you can fly, right? We won’t catch up to Aang if we’re not flying.”

She was met only with another groan. Appa slipped into the ocean and began to float forwards. Katara frowned and stroked Appa’s fur. “Please, Appa, Aang needs our help. You have to fly, please!”

“What was it Aang said?” Sokka asked from the saddle. “Yaa-ha? Hup-hup? Wa-hoo? Uh… yip yip?” 

Yip yip! That was it! Appa let out a thunderous growl. His tail beat against the water. He rose up, until he was running across the surface of the ocean, then-- leaped into the air. Katara gasped and looked around. “You did it, Sokka!” she cried. They were dozens of feet above the ocean, at least, and showed no sign of descent. It was… amazing.

“Woah…” Sokka breathed. “Katara, he’s flying! He’s flying!” 

“You didn’t believe Aang?” she asked. “What happened to ‘I’ve seen weirder things?’”

Sokka shrugged. “There’s a difference between seeing and believing, Katara.” 

That was a fair point, she supposed. “Okay,” she conceded. “Alright, Appa! Let’s go save Aang!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it took a while to publish! to be honest, i... totally just forgot about this lol. i really do have a horrible memory. 
> 
> next chapter should have aang's pov! hopefully it won't take as long to get that one out.

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this in 5 minutes and it shows.  
> anyway! welcome to my new fic, which may or may not be abandoned by the time i wake up tomorrow morning. i am notoriously bad at staying motivated for stuff like this so... we'll see how it goes lol.


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